Last to Know
by The Lady Of Purpletown
Summary: Christmas is a time to be with family. It doesn't have to be your own. Written with the amazing Jlocked. WARNING: contains SPOILERS for HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD!
1. Chapter 1

"On the fifth day of Christmas, my house-elf brought to me... Fiiiiiiiiiiiive broken waaaaaaaaaaaaaands!" Scorpius bellowed as he burst into the Slytherin common room, ignoring the annoyed huffs from its other occupants. His hair was powdered with the season's first snow, his cheeks glowing bright pink and his eyes sparkling. "Only one week left, Albus!" he cried, flopping down in the chair next to the window sill where Albus had been scribbling on a piece of parchment.

"Until we get five broken wands?" Albus asked, raising an eyebrow. "Sounds like something my dad would pick as a gift. Because they remind him of some ghost from his past, blah blah blah."

"Oh Albus..." Scorpius laughed. "It's just a silly song... Why does everything have to be about...?" He stopped himself. "Is something wrong? I thought you and your dad were getting along after the... After what happened?"

Albus huffed. "So did I. And then we started arguing by owl. I mean, seriously..." He gestured at his parchment.

"Oh..." Scorpius' smile melted faster than the last flecks of snow on his shoulder. "I'm sorry. Is it... bad?"

"Well..." Albus shrugged. "You know Lily scored a bunch of points for Gryffindor last week with that Herbology project, right? Which probably had nothing at all to do with mum and dad asking Neville over for Christmas. But dad's been sending letter after letter telling me how proud he is, and, I mean, good for Lily, but Gryffindor points aren't exactly supposed to make _me_ happy, right? And now it turns out that James is bringing his umpteenth girlfriend over during the holidays. So I get all the synonyms for 'proud' all over again. James sees me every day and he hasn't even bothered telling me in person. And dad hasn't asked how _I_ 'm doing in weeks because he's too busy gushing over _them_." He flicked the parchment and his quill onto the nearby table. "Of course I was stupid enough to mention that it bothered me, and now he's telling me off because I should be happy for my siblings. But, you know, I _am_ happy for them. It's all great. It's just that all this shows that they don't need me there, doesn't it? All I do is cause conflicts. So it'll be another Christmas where I'm just sitting there until I can't keep my mouth shut and everything explodes. I think I'll just stay at Hogwarts. At least I'll have good company here." He gave Scorpius a weak smile.

"I... I'm sorry," Scorpius squeaked. "That's horrible... I can understand why you want to stay. But... I'm going home this year. Dad's cleared his schedule so we can... y'know... bond..."

For a long moment Albus just sat staring at him in shock. Then he blinked and quickly schooled his features into something less obviously heartbroken. "Right. Of course. I... I shouldn't have assumed you'd stay. I mean, you two really do need to spend some time together." He cleared his throat and looked away.

"I won't go." Scorpius reached out and took hold of his arm. "I'll stay here. Dad will understand. Probably... Maybe..."

"No. Don't be silly." Albus laid his hand over Scorpius'. " _Your_ dad _does_ need you. You're all he has. I don't want to stand between you. I'm sure I'll find things to do."

"I suppose..." Scorpius looked down at his feet. "I guess you could catch up on some of the homework and stuff you missed when... At the start of the year..."

"You know, that's not the most comforting thing you've ever said," Albus said, giving Scorpius an exasperated look.

Scorpius managed a weak laugh. "Well... knowing me that's not saying much."

…

Avoiding the subject completely, Albus managed to act normal, more or less, for most of the week. But on the morning of the last day of lessons, it was simply impossible to hide how miserable he felt. Scorpius was sitting across from him, but he couldn't look at him or he'd start either crying or shouting. And it wasn't his friend's fault at all. He only had his dad, so of course he wanted to be with him. It had been incredibly selfish of Albus to think otherwise in the first place. But he just felt so alone. If he did stay at Hogwarts, he doubted he'd get out of bed at all during the holiday. And sure, it wasn't too late to go home—but that would feel like giving in and, honestly, he'd probably feel just as lonely when he was surrounded by his perfect cousins and clever sister and awesome brother with his _girlfriend_. Ugh. So he'd stay at Hogwarts. At least, once Scorpius left, no one would see him cry.

"Eat something," Scorpius said, pushing a plate of buttered toast towards him. "You'll need your strength. Hagrid's promised us a... 'surprise' today."

Swallowing difficultly, Albus stared at the toast. It usually didn't come from the kitchen in buttered state. Scorpius must have done it. Out of guilt. Guilt because his best friend couldn't stand that he'd have a nice time with his dad. What a friend, indeed.

Albus shook his head. "I don't think I can eat."

"At least have some... some tea... Juice?" Scorpius' voice rose so high on the last word that several people turned to stare. A couple of Hufflepuffs giggled and Professor Trelawney raised an eyebrow in their direction.

Scorpius blushed and slouched so far down that his head almost disappeared into his robe.

Somehow, even though it would have seemed impossible mere seconds ago, a weak smile broke through Albus' glum mood. "Fine. I guess I can manage some pumpkin juice."

"Thank you." Scorpius re-emerged somewhat, smiling weakly. He handed Albus a goblet and then gave the plate a small nudge closer.

…

In spite of Scorpius' desperate attempts to cheer him up, Albus felt like the morning dragged on forever. Hagrid's Hoo-hoos managed to distract him for an hour, but at lunch his stomach clenched once again at the mere thought of eating. In fact he was starting to wish the day was over. Sure, he'd be alone, but at least he would no longer have to act like he was alright.

"Clara Cavendish!" Scorpius exclaimed, interrupting his gloomy thoughts.

Albus looked over his shoulder, expecting their classmate to be there. But she wasn't anywhere in sight, so he turned back to his friend with a puzzled look. "Uhm... What?"

Scorpius had gone bright red. "She... well... she's staying too. At Hogwarts. Over Christmas. You could... you know... hang out..."

Albus blinked. "What? We never talk. Why would we start now?"

"She's here and..." Scorpius squirmed in his seat. "She's a... a girl?"

Albus had the feeling he'd have a hard time finding his eyebrows again now that they'd climbed past his hairline. "So?"

"It could be fun?" Scorpius, on the other hand, was retreating into his robe again. "Sorry. Just a suggestion. You seem so... not unhappy but... y'know."

Albus sighed. "Look, I'll... I'll be fine. I'm sorry I can't be all smiles and Christmas cheer with you right now. But... I've no interest in running after some girl who doesn't even want to look at me, let alone talk or... whatever. I mean, it's clear from you and Rose that that's not exactly a great strategy."

"Ouch..." Scorpius' laughter sounded a little forced. "But really... Why don't you go home? I know you and your dad don't always get along but... Don't you miss your mother? And what about your sister?"

"He'll still be there. And it's not like _they_ will miss _me_."

"Of course they will..." Scorpius put a slightly trembling hand on his shoulder. "You know they will. They were worried sick when we were... y'know."

Albus looked down, biting his lip and taking a deep breath before he could speak. "The only person I really want to spend Christmas with, has to be with someone who needs him more than I do. That's just how it is."

"Excuse me!" Looking rather green, Scorpius jumped to his feet and rushed out of the hall, nearly tripping thrice.

"Scorpius?" Albus stood up, but it was too late to follow his friend. And anyway... Apparently he'd finally managed to scare him off with his whining. He'd better let him go.

…

Albus was relieved that Scorpius took his usual place next to him during their last lessons, and now and then shot him a tight smile. But he was unusually quiet and Albus felt his heart sink. Now he'd done it. Scorpius had been endlessly patient with him, but now Albus had just gone too far. He'd not only be alone during the holidays, but might have lost his only friend too.

As soon as the lessons were over, Scorpius ran off again as fast as he could, and he didn't even show up for dinner. Not that Albus had dinner himself. He just entered the Great Hall, scanned the Slytherin table for his friend so he could at least apologise to him, then returned to their dormitory when he saw that Scorpius wasn't there.

He hid in his bed, closing the curtains so Scorpius wouldn't have to see him when he entered. The other boys living in their dorm came in early, laughing and joking as they packed their stuff. But Albus didn't hear Scorpius' familiar footsteps until midnight. He'd have to pack quickly in the morning in order to catch the train. And Albus would make sure that he wasn't around to spoil his Christmas cheer.


	2. Chapter 2

Oh no, oh no, oh no. This was very very very very bad. Possibly the worst thing he'd ever done. Well, no... Not the worst thing. But it was close. Very close. How could he be such an idiot? How could he let his own fears get in the way of doing the right thing? How could he just disregard the feelings of his best friend in the whole world because things were awkward at home?

No! It wasn't right. And he was going to fix it. If he could just... If he could just find...

"Albus!" Scorpius launched himself down the narrow stairs just as they began to shift and had to cling to the railing to keep from plummeting three floors down. He'd be no use to anyone if he broke his neck.

Then he spotted a familiar head of bushy hair below him. "Rose!" he cried. "Rose! Have you seen Albus?"

Rose, who had been heading for the entrance hall, paused and looked up. "Scorpius? What are you doing up there? I thought you were on your way to the station?"

"Albus!" Scorpius cried. "I can't find Albus anywhere. Have you seen him?"

"No, of course I haven't," she snapped, shaking her head at him. "I've come straight from Gryffindor Tower. Isn't he still down in your dungeon?"

"No! I... He wasn't in his bed this morning... He is gone..." Scorpius sank down on the step, burying his head in his hands. "I have to talk to him."

"Well, there's no time for that now," Rose said. "The train is leaving in 20 minutes. You will have to talk to him when you get back. Or send him an owl."

"No..." Scorpius muttered. "That won't do. That won't do."

Rose paused a moment longer, then shouldered her bag and hurried after her friends.

Maybe Albus had returned to the Slytherin Dungeon? Scorpius headed back, actually sliding down a couple of bannisters, earning himself an outraged cry from the elderly ghost of a former caretaker. He had almost made it to the stone wall entrance, when he bumped into somebody and fell flat on his back.

"I'm sorry, Professor Longbottom," he gasped, picking himself up. "I didn't see you there."

"That's quite alright, Malfoy," the professor said, smiling. "Did you forget something?"

"Yes... I mean no..." Scorpius sighed. "I can't find Albus. I mean... Potter."

"Oh..." Professor Longbottom's brow furrowed as he thought. "You know what, I think I might have caught a glimpse of him earlier. I did spot a dark-haired Slytherin up on the seventh floor."

"Where?" Scorpius had to stop himself from grabbing hold of the professor's robe and shaking him. "Where was he going?"

"It looked like he might have been headed for the Owlery," Professor Longbottom said thoughtfully. "Maybe with a Christmas Card for his mother? I heard he is not going home this year."

"Yeah... No... He isn't!" Scorpius was already running. "Thanks, Professor!"

If he'd been out of breath before, he was close to passing out when he finally made it up the last steps, pushing the door open. "A... Albus...?" he wheezed. "Albus? Are you there?"

To his relief, it _was_ Albus who turned around, frowning. "What are you doing here? I thought the train was leaving at eleven."

"Yeah. We don't have much time." Scorpius had to lean on the door, feeling a little lightheaded. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"I'm... checking on Sally." Albus gestured awkwardly at his owl. "I think you should hurry. You don't want to miss the train..."

"No. I don't!" Scorpius giggled and shook his head. "I even got up early to be sure I'd have enough time... I guess I should have known better. Y'know... Me and time, right? Not a good mix."

"No... So what was urgent enough to come all the way to the Owlery?" Albus was starting to look worried.

"Right..." Scorpius fumbled in his pocket. "I got it this morning. I should have written earlier but... Well... You know me... I'm a total coward, right? So it was almost too late, but dad gave Zarina a Dashing Draft and she made it back in record time..." He held up the crumpled note, laughing happily. "We have to hurry."

"What are you talking about?" Albus took the note and started reading, then looked up at Scorpius, open-mouthed.

"Yeah!" He couldn't stop grinning as he took hold of Albus' wrist. "Let's go. We might still make it!"

"But... I didn't pack anything... And it's such short notice, maybe he won't like me being there..."

"He said you're very welcome," Scorpius pointed out. His smile faltered. "Don't you want to come?"

Albus gave him an incredulous look and a moment later, Scorpius was squeezed into a tight hug. "Of course I want to come!"

…

In the train, Albus was grinning so much that he almost seemed to forget about eating sweets. "I… I really don't know how to thank you," he said for the seventh time, beaming at Scorpius. "It really feels like… you saved me, you know? Like you've just turned the worst Christmas into the best."

Scorpius tried, and failed, not to squirm at the praise. "I just... I wish I had asked him sooner. I could have spared you all that... that worrying..." He bit his lip. "I just wasn't sure that dad would approve. I mean... It's our first Christmas since... all the stuff..."

Albus nodded. "I promise I'll be out of your hair when you guys need a moment or something. You just tell me to move and I will."

"Don't be silly," Scorpius said, quickly. "We were not going to have any deep long talks. This Christmas was always going to be about trying to act like a normal family. Having you there will only make things easier. For both of us, I suspect."

"Because I know so much about how a normal family is supposed to act," Albus joked.

"Well, at least you've got a family." Scorpius smiled.

"Right now I feel like I have two," Albus said, getting up to give Scorpius another hug, making him almost choke on a mushroom flavoured Bertie Bott's Bean.

The door to the compartment opened and Albus quickly sat down as his sister entered.

"Albus? What are you doing here?" Lily stared at him. "Are you coming home after all?"

"Erm… No…"

"Oh..." Scorpius felt his head flood with ice cold panic. "He... er... He is spending Christmas with... with me..."

"Oh." Lily frowned at Albus. "You said you were staying at the castle."

"Yeah..." Albus said. "I kind of didn't know until... what is it, an hour and a half ago?"

"Do mum and dad know?"

"Er... I was going to send them an owl just... now." Albus almost sounded convincing.

"Oh Albus..." Lily sighed. "Please tell me you at least told a teacher. If they think you're missing again..."

"I'll send them an owl too!"

"Yeah..." Scorpius pointed to the two covered cages. "We'll do it right now. One to school and one to home!"

Albus nodded quickly.

Lily rolled her eyes. "You two are idiots." She was about to leave, but then turned back to Albus. "Are you _sure_ you don't want to come home?"

"Yeah." Albus didn't quite meet her gaze. "I'd... rather stay with Scorpius."

"Okay... Have a merry Christmas." With a thoughtful expression, Lily shut the compartment door behind her.

Scorpius couldn't look at his friend. "She misses you," he muttered. "You hardly ever see each other at school. Maybe you _should_ go home... For her..."

"I'd miss you far more," Albus muttered, the back of his hand brushing against Scorpius'.

Trying to hide a pleased blush, Scorpius insisted: "But Albus! You see me every day..."

"So?" Albus cleared his throat and pulled away. "Let's... let's just write those letters."

The one to the school was done quickly. They both agreed that they didn't have to explain anything. First of all it was nobody's business why Albus had changed his mind and secondly, McGonagall would probably understand it all anyway.

The one to Albus' family was a lot harder and took far too long. How do you tell your family that, though you still don't want to spend Christmas with them, you will happily go to the home of their (former) arch enemy for the entire holiday? But finally it was done and they both reached for their owls.

As Scorpius lifted the cloth covering Zarina's cage, he was overcome with despair once again. It seemed to be the prevailing mood of what should by all accounts be a very happy day.

"She... She can't take it," he told Albus, showing him the sleeping owl. "She's exhausted after last night."

"Right..." Albus hesitated. "I guess one of the letters can wait until we get to your place? I mean... No one on the train is going to let us borrow their owl when they're on their way home..."

"I don't think we have a choice..." Scorpius looked down at the two notes. "But which one should we send?"

Albus chewed his lip, staring down at the pieces of parchment. "I suppose my parents would worry more... But then again they'd only notice later, because they think I'm at school anyway. So... McGonagall's, I guess?"

"Your parents will find out as soon as Lily tells them," Scorpius said, pulling at his hair in a vain effort to force his mind to solve it. "They would appreciate hearing from you first... But McGonagall may already have found out that you are missing. Once she's raised the alarm..." He shivered at the thought.

"Yeah. Let's just send Sally to her and hope we're not too late." Albus was looking scared too.

"Agreed!"

After double-checking the notes, Albus attached the shortest one to Sally's leg and let her out of the window. As she disappeared from view they both sat back in silence.

Lily had really saved them. Scorpius hadn't even realised that they should have told anyone what they were doing. And he doubted Albus had either, judging from his pale face and glazed look.

Then suddenly he cried out. "Lily!" He waved the note in the air. "Albus! Lily!"

Albus looked over his shoulder and then frowned at Scorpius. "What?"

"Lily!" he gasped again. "Give the letter to Lily! And ask her not to tell them you were on the train before they have read it. That way they'll still hear it from you first!"

"Oh!" Albus stared at Scorpius and then laughed. "Of course... I suppose she was right about us being idiots. Well, me, at least."

"No. Definitely both of us!" Scorpius grinned at his best friend as he took his hand and put the note in in. "Now go find Lily. And try to avoid your brother!"

…

As the train pulled into King's Cross, Scorpius was becoming nervous again. His dad had accepted his request to let Albus join them readily enough, but still... This was supposed to be their first _real_ Christmas together since mother... Sort of. And they had both been putting so much effort into being more open and all that.

He knew his dad had been looking forward to this. And so had he. But Albus was his friend. He couldn't just have let him stay alone and miserable.

"Scorpius?" Albus said. "Are you alright?"

"What? Oh... yeah..." Scorpius muttered, squinting out at the bustling, cheerful crowd on the platform. "I... I think I see him."

"He... He does know, right?" Albus asked. "I mean... Your handwriting is pretty similar..."

"What?" It took him a moment to understand. Then he gasped. "No! I mean, yes, he knows. And no! I wouldn't lie to you! Never!"

"Sorry!" Albus said, looking contrite. "I didn't mean to accuse you. You just look so tense."

"Yeah, well..." Scorpius turned to Albus with what was probably a pretty weak smile. "He's my dad. You know what he's like. I never quite know what to expect."

The train creaked as the engines stopped and then the corridors were filled with the roar of students scrambling to get out while also wishing their friends a merry Christmas.

The boys were the last to make it onto the platform and Scorpius' dad approached them, actually smiling. "I was worried," he said. "I sent Zarina back as fast as I could, but I wasn't sure you'd have gotten the message in time to pack." He gave Scorpius a very brief hug, leaving him slightly dazed, then turned to Albus, offering him his hand.

"Albus. I'm glad to see you. You are very welcome in our home. Always."

"Uh, thank you," Albus said, blushing as he shook it. "It means a lot to me that I can stay over. Thank you for that, too."

No one seemed to know what to say next and they stood in silence for a moment, not quite looking at each other.

Then Scorpius heard a familiar voice close by.

"Dad!" It was Rose, throwing herself into the arms of her father. And right behind her were...

"Albus!" he gave his friend a shove. "I... I think we better get going..."

His dad gave him a funny look but then held out his hand to take Zarina's cage from him before turning and heading for the exit.

Scorpius kept one eye on the group of Gryffindors that were being picked up by Mr Weasley. Apparently Albus' parents had been too busy, which was, honestly, very very fortunate.

Lily had spotted them, but was doing a pretty good job of keeping the others distracted so they wouldn't notice them passing. Except, of course, Rose, who couldn't overlook anything if her life depended on it.

"Lily!" she gasped. "Isn't that...?" Her words drowned in a squeak as her shin got a hard kick and she glared at her friend. But after a brief whispered exchange, both girls glanced in their direction and giggled.

Scorpius frowned at them and then hurried after his dad and Albus, out into muggle London.


	3. Chapter 3

Albus had only been at the Malfoy Manor once, to meet Scorpius before his mother's funeral. Back then, paying attention to the architecture had been the least of his cares. But now the imposing building made him stop in his tracks as they walked up the driveway. It was beautiful—but how was he ever going to find his way in there?

Scorpius nudged him and he continued walking, but then remembered something and paused again.

"She… She said she was born here. Didn't she? Delphi? To my dad?"

"What?" Scorpius stared at him like he'd sprouted antlers, then glanced nervously towards his dad, who had been walking a little ahead of them but now stood so still he might have been petrified.

Albus felt his face heat up. He'd been invited by these two kind people and the first thing he did was bring up something like this. And yet he had to ask: "Mr Malfoy, you didn't know, did you? I mean... before?"

Scorpius' dad turned around slowly, looking down at Albus. "Do you think," he asked, speaking slowly, "I would have kept such a thing secret? For all these years?"

"No. No, sorry, of course not." Albus wished the ground would open up and swallow him. "It's just, seeing the house, I couldn't help remembering... her... But... I'm sorry." He looked at his feet.

"This house holds a lot of memories," Mr Malfoy said. He stood still a moment, then turned and began walking again.

Scorpius put an arm around Albus' shoulders. "Come on," he said softly. "Let's get inside. It looks like it might rain."

Albus nodded, feeling he didn't really deserve Scorpius comforting him. "I'm really sorry about that."

"It's okay," Scorpius said. "This place can be a bit unnerving." He lowered his voice. "To tell you the truth, I wish he'd get rid of it. Considering all that happened here."

"Do you think there's a chance he might?" Albus whispered.

"He probably won't," Scorpius admitted. "But I can promise you one thing: I'm not staying here once school is done. I want a place of my own. A small one."

Albus smiled. "You know I'll come visit you wherever you go."

...

Once inside, Mr Malfoy told Scorpius to show Albus his room, and it was a relief to have a moment alone to settle in and recover from his blunder. However, as Albus had brought very little of his belongings because they'd been at risk of missing the train, he didn't need long to unpack. He sat down on the bed, looked around, and realised that he understood now what Scorpius had meant when he said he wanted a smaller place for himself.

The room was just too big. It was at least as large as their dorm at Hogwarts, but he was all alone in here. Every time he shifted his weight, the bed's creaking seemed to echo against the walls. If Scorpius had been in here, they'd have giggled about it, but...

It was always odd going back to his own bedroom after the school year, but knowing that Scorpius was in the very next room was even weirder. He was close, and yet Albus couldn't share anything with him when it struck his mind. He wouldn't be able to hear him hum at night—that really was a ridiculous habit, but it had become comforting through the years.

They would just have to stay up late, Albus decided. Make the most of their holiday. As long as Albus didn't blurt out too many stupid things to Mr Malfoy, there was no doubt they would have an awesome time.

There was a soft knock at the door and then Scorpius looked in. "Is the... Is the room okay?"

Albus smiled and jumped off the bed. "Of course. There's just a lot of it."

Scorpius laughed. "Yeah... I guess it's kind of big. Most of the rooms here are like that... And dad has given you one of the better ones. That was nice of him."

"It definitely was," Albus said, trying not to imagine a Death Eater or even Voldemort occupying the same room. "So... Do we have any plans today?"

"I figured I could show you the grounds," Scorpius offered. "And then afterwards we could go down to the village."

"Good idea," Albus said. "Though... It's getting dark already. A tour around the house might be useful, too... If you don't mind?"

"Right..." Scorpius turned his usual shade of pink. "We'll do the house tonight. Grounds tomorrow. Okay?"

"Brilliant," Albus said, smiling.

…

When Scorpius had shown him all the rooms, Albus was even more convinced that he'd get hopelessly lost if he started wandering around on his own. Scorpius challenged him to find the way back from the attic to the dining room and praised him for only taking three wrong turns. They were still giggling when they sat down for dinner.

Fortunately, Mr Malfoy seemed to have forgiven Albus for his horrible question outside the house and he asked how the last days at school had been, what Albus' favourite subjects were and even how the rest of the Potter family was doing. It turned out that he and Scorpius needn't have worried so much, for Mr Malfoy had sent a letter to Albus' mother right after sending his reply to Scorpius.

The next day was cold but sunny. The boys dressed up warm and spent most of the afternoon outside with Glumby, the Malfoys' very excitable corgi. When Albus asked how Scorpius' dad had ever agreed to having a muggle pet, Scorpius explained that his mother had wanted it. Eight-year-old Scorpius had loved the pup at first sight and called it Glumby because it reminded him of an illustrated book about a confused glumbumble. His dad might roll his eyes at the dog all the time, but was actually quite fond of its company, and used to joke that it was a good replacement for Scorpius when he was away, with all its cheerful yapping.

In the evening, Mr Malfoy—who now insisted Albus call him Draco—joined them for a few games of exploding snap, and Albus laughed so much that his cheeks hurt by the time they went to bed.

On Tuesday morning it was raining, but Draco convinced them to go explore the nearby village anyway. Just the two of them, with a ridiculous amount of both galleons and pounds. The boys gave each other a rather perplexed look, shrugged and went on their way.

It should have been a bit suspicious, but then again, it wasn't so hard to imagine that Draco wanted some alone time after having the two of them around all the time.

At first they visited some magical shops, where they bought owl treats and Scorpius spent at least half an hour staring at an old book about mobility spells, with a dreamy look in his eyes.

"You really don't want to drag such a heavy book around all day!" Albus insisted, seeing a nice solution to the fact that he hadn't found a gift for Scorpius yet.

"But look at it! It even lists the different dances _Tarantallegra_ may initiate. Apparently if you add a particularly dramatic flick of your wrist, the subject will start dancing a tango on their own!"

Snorting, Albus dragged his friend out of the book shop, and they moved on to the muggle shops. Scorpius wanted to visit every one of them, even though Albus would gladly have skipped the large clothing store. However, it turned out to be the most fun of them all. Scorpius thought Albus just _had_ to try on a black leather jacket with metal spikes and Albus, in turn, demanded that Scorpius put on the rainbow-coloured arm warmers. They stayed there for almost an hour, trying on the silliest muggle garments they could find, and making each other giggle so much that the shop attendants began shooting them disapproving looks each time they emerged from the changing rooms. Finally, after Albus had donned an antlered woollen hat and muttered something about heritage that made Scorpius scream with laughter, they had to accept they were no longer welcome and moved on.

It was well into the afternoon by then and Albus suggested they'd have a late lunch at the local pub.

Scorpius blinked at him, apparently having forgotten all about food, and then almost _ran_ across the street to the pub door, exclaiming he'd never been there before. The waitress was visibly taken aback by the enthusiasm with which the blond boy placed his order, but as Albus' father had taken him and his siblings to eat in pubs now and then, he managed to calm Scorpius enough to actually eat.

Only when they came home after tea time did it become clear why Draco had been so keen to have them out of the house.

"Dad?" Scorpius called out as they walked into the parlour, then stopped so abruptly that Albus almost bumped into him.

He stared at the low table set for tea. Three sets of cups and plates. All used.

Draco, who had been carrying a tray in from the kitchen, sighed as he saw them.

"Scorpius, I..." he began, but didn't get a chance to finish before his son rushed forward.

"It was them, wasn't it? Grandpa and grandmama? You knew they were coming? Why didn't you tell me?"

Draco, looking decidedly awkward, nodded towards Albus. "I... I figured you wouldn't want to abandon your friend and..."

"Oh..." Scorpius sank down in one of the chairs. "Of course. I hadn't thought of that."

Albus frowned. "Wait... What?"

Draco put a hesitant hand on his son's shoulder. "Give them time," he said softly.

Scorpius nodded, sniffed and then forced a smile. "What's for dinner?"

Albus barely knew what he ate, as he just sat wishing he could talk to Scorpius alone. He didn't want to criticise Mr Malfoy again, so he couldn't just say it now, even though both Malfoys were very quiet during dinner.

Finally their plates were empty and he dragged Scorpius to the chair by the fire.

"Why didn't he just send me away?" he whispered fiercely, standing in front of him with both his hands on the armrests.

Scorpius considered for a moment. "I guess he knows me better than I thought. I mean, I would have liked to see my grandparents... I haven't seen them since mother... since the funeral. But having to hide you... I would have felt awful. And you came here so we could be together. Not so that you could be lonely in a strange place."

"I'm sure I would have survived one day," Albus said. "They're still your grandparents. I never wanted to be the reason you can't see them."

"You probably would have," Scorpius admitted. "But I would have missed you. And felt awful about deserting you."

"You could have made me catch up with homework," Albus pointed out, smiling a little as he sat down on the armrest.

"I couldn't," Scorpius pointed out, giggling. "Because I didn't know they were coming. Dad tricked us both. And I'm glad he did because we had an awesome day."

"We did," Albus agreed. "But-"

"But Scorpius has a duty to his guest," Draco said, walking in with two large mugs. "And besides, I wouldn't want to come between you two. I doubt there'd be room anyway." He gave them a pointed look and then winked before putting the mugs down on the small table next to the chair. "I'm off to bed now. Do try and behave yourselves."

"Dad!" Scorpius whined, his voice cracking.

Draco laughed as he left, closing the door behind him.

Albus frowned and looked down at Scorpius. "What was that about?"

"I'm not sure..." Scorpius rolled his eyes. "I suppose it was some sort of reference to all the stupid things we did... Changing time and all that... I guess we can expect to be teased about that for years to come..."

Albus sighed. "I suppose we deserve that. But he needn't worry. I'm not going anywhere right now." He let himself slide off the arm rest, squashing Scorpius, and grinned.

"Oi..." Scorpius shoved him and wriggled, laughing.

"Careful, I can't give you your cocoa like this!" Albus chided.

"Fine!" Scorpius sat still. "But could you shift just a little? You're sitting on my wand."

"Okay." It took some more shifting, but then Albus could hand Scorpius his drink, and sit back with his own, sighing happily.


	4. Chapter 4

Scorpius sighed as he looked out at the never ending drizzle. He turned to Albus, who was sitting at the other end of the window sill, his nose buried in an old book about gnome behaviour patterns.

"I bet it's snowing at Hogwarts," he said. "There's always snow on Christmas at Hogwarts. Do you think it's a spell?"

"I think it's in the north," Albus answered absently.

Scorpius giggled. "Yeah, I know. But it's not _that_ far north..."

"It kind of is..." Albus closed his book and looked up. "Do you know any snowing spells?"

"No..." Scorpius looked out the window again. "But wouldn't it be cool if we did? If we could make it a white Christmas? Just here at the manor?"

Albus grinned and gestured at the library's myriad of shelves. "At least one of those books must say something about making it snow. What are we waiting for?"

Scorpius hesitated. "Some of those books belonged to... to my grandfather. You... We should... We better be careful." He knew they probably shouldn't, but he couldn't resist Albus' smile and was heading for the nearest shelves before even realising he'd stood up.

Albus followed him, giggling. "Surely you know which sections to avoid. I mean, you're not telling me that you haven't already read every book that didn't start biting your fingers."

Snorting, Scorpius held up his left hand, showing a line of small, faint scars. "I even made it halfway through one that did." Then he pointed at the highest shelf. "Better avoid those. And anything with a copper spine."

"Okay!" Albus grabbed a book at random, turned it around in his hands a few times to inspect the cover, and then opened it to read the index.

After picking out as many books as they could carry, they brought them over to the fireplace and settled down to read. This was Scorpius' idea of a perfect holiday! Reading fascinating new spells shoulder to shoulder with his best friend in front of a roaring fire while the rain was drumming on the window.

All they needed was...

"Who wants tea?" his dad asked, pushing the door open with his shoulder while balancing a tray heavily laden with tea, mugs and several plates of biscuits and fudge.

Albus looked up from his book and beamed. "I do! Thank you so much, Mr—I mean, Draco!"

"Can we... can we have it down here?" Scorpius asked, wondering why the warmth from the fire chose this exact moment to reach his cheeks. "While we... while we read?"

Draco frowned. "I can see you have a pretty nice setup there, but some of those books are very old and valuable. I'd prefer you kept food and drink away from them." He carried the tray over to the table. "What are you doing? Catching up on homework?"

"One day away from Christmas? We're not _that_ crazy," Albus said. "At least... _I_ 'm not." He grinned at Scorpius.

Scorpius grinned too and shook his head, resolving to never mention the History of Magic essay he was working on every night after going to bed.

"It looks great," he said as he sat down and studied the contents of the tray. "I didn't know you could bake."

"Oh, this isn't me." His father laughed. "Mrs Weasley sent an owl this morning."

"Mrs Weasley?" Albus asked as he joined them. "Which one?"

"Your grandmother," Draco clarified. "I doubt she thought she would ever be sending a packet of Christmas treats to Malfoy Manor, but here we are. You two have chosen each other and I think even your father is starting to accept it. In fact..."

"Cho... Chosen?" Scorpius stammered, almost choking on a biscuit. Why did his father put it like that? They were just friends...

"Well, we _did_ choose to become friends," Albus pointed out. "I mean, we could just have walked out of that compartment, if we'd been as prejudiced as Rose. But we didn't." He took a biscuit, licking his lips. "I'll send gran an owl tonight to thank her. These are my favourites!"

As his father and Albus chatted on, with such ease that it was hard to believe that they had barely spoken three words to each other before the start of the holiday, Scorpius leaned back in his chair, chewing thoughtfully on a particularly tasty piece of fudge.

They really _had_ chosen each other. In a friendship so strong he would have thought it impossible. Especially for someone like him...

He was roused from thought by a squeak and for a moment wondered why he'd made that sound, before he saw Albus' face and realised it came from _him_.

"They... You... What?!" He was staring at Scorpius' dad in shock.

"Huh? What?" Scorpius gasped, nearly knocking a whole plate of biscuits off the table.

Albus somehow caught the plate without taking his eyes off Draco's face. "They... They haven't agreed to come yet, right? I mean... No offence, but my dad will probably come up with an excuse. I mean, because you didn't get along when you were younger... Right?"

"What...?" Scorpius frowned. "What are we talking about?" Had Albus' family changed their mind? Were they coming to get him? Scorpius looked at his friend, feeling a lump form in his throat.

"I have invited the Potters for dinner," his dad explained. "A couple of days after Christmas. Albus' mother wrote me to ask how he was doing and I sensed that she really missed him. And I figured it was time we put the past behind us. Considering..." He gestured at them both. "I mean, the way things are going, soon we won't have a choice."

"Dad!" Scorpius was sure his cheeks were actually glowing. Why did his father have to look so smug? Did he really think that...? How could he...? Why...?

"But, Mr Malfoy, I'm sorry, but... There was a reason why I didn't want to go home. I don't think you'll want the drama between me and my dad here!" Albus protested.

To Scorpius' surprise, his dad leaned forward and put a hand on Albus' shoulder. "I have already seen my fair share of drama. But meeting him here might actually be an advantage, you know. Being a guest, even your father will behave himself. Your mother will see to that. And you will have Scorpius at your side. I think his adoration is more than a match for any sense of disapproval or disappointment you might get from them."

Certain his brain would begin to boil any second, Scorpius tried to catch his dad's eyes, desperate to make him understand that he was mistaken. That they were just friends.

Albus sounded confused too. "Adoration?"

Draco sighed and looked back and forth between them. "Really? Are you two the only ones who don't know?"

Scorpius reached into his pocket for his wand, wondering if he, if he really really focused, could spontaneously master that human transfiguration spell he'd 'borrowed' from a sixth year Ravenclaw's notes and turn himself into a mouse. Or maybe a flea.

"... Know what?" Albus asked.

"I think my son is figuring it out," Draco said, raising an eyebrow at Scorpius. "Either that or he's coming down with a severe case of Rubicalor."

"I..." Scorpius got to his feet, barely noticing his chair crashing to the floor behind him. "I'm not," he protested. "I'm not figuring anything out!" He forced himself not to look at Albus before turning around and bolting, desperate for the refuge of his own room. For solitude.

Scorpius spent the next several hours in his room, trying to read, write, sleep and even have a conversation with a miniature portrait of his great-granduncle Archon. Anything but think. Finally he had resorted to singing every Christmas song he knew at double speed and then attempting, and failing, to sing them backwards.

He half expected Albus or even his dad to come and try to talk to him, but he was left alone. At six o'clock, his growling stomach insisted that he abandon his original plan of staying hidden in his room until it was time to return to Hogwarts.

The dining room was empty, so he continued on to the kitchen, stopping suddenly when an unexpected gleam of white from the parlour caught his eye.

"Scorpius!" Albus called. "Look! We did it!"

Scorpius took a deep breath and turned to face his friend. His jaw dropped.

The entire room was covered with several inches of snow. Snow that was still falling slowly from... From where? He looked up. It was like a peculiar reversal of the ceiling of the Great Hall. There he had often watched the snow drifting down and then disappearing into thin air. Here it appeared out of nothing and then floated down to settle on the floor, the furniture and the top of Albus' head.

Scorpius laughed. "What...? How...?"

Albus smiled. "Your dad helped. It was a pretty clever spell."

"That was... nice of him..." Scorpius stepped through the door. The snow felt real under his feet.

"He is. Nice. And clever." Albus grinned. "He's _your_ dad after all."

"Huh?" Scorpius shook his head. "Why should being _my_ dad make him particularly nice and clever?" He held out his hand to catch a few of the dancing flakes. They began to melt immediately. "Is this really... really real snow?"

"Want me to prove it?" Albus asked, scooping up a handful and lifting his hand as though he was going to throw it, but as Scorpius ducked he dropped it, smiling shyly. "I hope you like it."

"I love it!" Scorpius picked up some snow too and tried shaping it with his hands. He grinned at Albus. "Should we... should we build a snowman?"

"Would be a waste if we didn't, don't you think?" Albus stooped and started making a large snowball. "Your dad didn't even have to think long to come up with that spell. I think he may have used it before."

"He probably found it when he was dating mum," Scorpius said, starting on one too. "Grandmama told me that there was no end to the things he'd do to make her smile."

"Oh. That would make sense..." For a moment Albus seemed very focused on his snowball. "He's very observant."

Scorpius paused. He was starting to feel the cold of the snow. Especially in his stomach. "What... What do you mean?"

Albus straightened, but only held his eyes for a second before he looked away, blushing. "I like to make you smile a lot, too."

"Oh..." Scorpius felt a familiar tug at the corners of his mouth. "Ehm, I... I like to make you smile... too..."

"Yes." Albus fiddled with the hem of his jumper. "And you manage to make me smile when no one else can."

Scorpius didn't quite know how to respond to that, so he focused on rolling his snowball across the room.

"Your, er, your dad asked me if we were dating." Albus spoke very quickly.

Scorpius almost slipped in the snow and had to grab the table for support. "He… He what!?" he spluttered.

"Yeah. Because we're very close."

Scorpius nodded. He should have known that running away would only make things worse. That his dad would simply direct his teasing at Albus instead. But why? Why ruin what had been on the way to become the best Christmas in years?

"I suppose we are. Close, I mean. And we... I do like you. A lot." He couldn't look at Albus. Would he laugh? Get angry?

"Thank you. I like you a lot, too..." Albus actually sounded very serious.

"You... you do...?" The snow wasn't really that cold. Maybe it was the spell, but Scorpius was almost convinced that he could feel the temperature in the room climbing. He looked at the large snowball he had been rolling. No point in making a snowman, really. "It will only melt."

"What?" Albus took a few steps towards him. "Are you okay? You're all... red..."

"The snowman," Scorpius squeaked. "It will melt. It's so... It's kinda hot in here. Isn't it?" His cheeks were definitely burning.

"Oh. I don't know. It'll last for a bit, I think." Albus bit his lip, looking a little awkward.

"I guess..." Scorpius shuffled his feet a little, looking down at the snow. "Thank you."

"No need to thank me. After all I got what I wanted, too." Albus gave him a small smile. "So... Do you think he was right? That most friends don't... feel like this?"

Scorpius shrugged. "I don't know. I don't know how others feel. But I know how much it hurt when we were separated. I don't think anything else could hurt so badly." He bit his lip and held out a hand to Albus. "What do you... How do you feel?"

Albus entwined their fingers. "Being separate _was_ horrible. And what your dad said... It made me realise that... I'd be jealous if you dated someone. Someone else, I mean." It suddenly struck Scorpius that Albus was looking very red, too.

"Oh..." Slowly he pulled Albus closer. "That is... that feels nice. Hearing that."

"Really? You don't think it makes me a bad friend?"

"Perhaps. But..." Scorpius was afraid his head might start steaming any second. "But it does make you a good... boyfriend?" The last word was barely more than a whisper and Albus probably didn't hear it as Scorpius' dad chose that exact moment to call for them.

"Boys!" his voice sounded from the dining room. "Want to give me a hand with this?"

Albus actually jumped. "Of course!" he called back.

Then he looked at Scorpius again, smiling a little as he squeezed his hand. "Boyfriend?"

Scorpius nodded, giggling. If Albus really did like making Scorpius smile, he must be feeling very very happy as they walked to the dining room together.


End file.
